Chapter 213 : Chapter 213
Chapter 213. To Catch the Professor
Beven recognized the faces of Radel and Gusto.
One was a nasty royal with blond hair and golden eyes, and the other was a merciless apprentice holy knight with black hair.
And both were first-years taking Professor Beven’s lecture.
‘Those persistent brats…….’
Beven climbed up a tree and shuddered as he looked down at them.
Originally, Enhancement Magic was not a lecture that first-years would seek out deliberately.
If anything, this lecture was closer to an advanced course centered on upperclassmen.
Students among combat magic majors who wanted to surpass their physical limits, Cryptozoology majors who wanted to train magical beasts more skillfully, etc.
There were many cases where mages came to listen feeling the need to supplement their physical limits, even if only temporarily.
For mere first-years who were just getting to know their majors, what limits had they hit to come here?
Furthermore, Enhancement Magic was known as magic cast on the body, but that was not the case.
If casting some magic would strengthen the body, they would have told them to learn Enhancement Magic at the Academy, why would they tell students to take physical training classes?
Enhancement Magic was magic where the core was concentrating and wrapping magic power around the body.
It was closer to protecting the body by activating magic quickly in a fleeting moment.
‘I heard that apprentice holy knight can defend with divine magic, and that Prince is the top student of the first year. Then they could just fight roughly with elemental magic, so why come all the way here to torment me!’
Now it had reached the point where he could recognize those brats’ faces even from afar.
Because they laid so many traps and performed eccentricities while grilling meat, he could not fail to recognize them even if he tried.
Normally, Professor Beven would have maintained a distance as if he could almost be caught for the sake of the students’ skill improvement, then subtly shown Enhancement Magic and disappeared.
But that did not work on those guys.
One wrong move and he would fall into endless traps.
If he avoided a trap, a snare. If he avoided a snare, a noose.
There was no hardship like that hardship.
Not getting close to them was the only way to finish that day’s lecture safely.
“It is absolutely not because I am scared……. It is because I am sick of it, sick of it…….”
Muttering an excuse no one would hear, Beven shouted towards the students from a far distance.
“I will announce the scope for this midterm!”
At that moment, the Prince with golden eyes looked exactly in the direction where Professor Beven was.
Sweat flowed down Beven’s spine.
He used amplification magic to make his location unknown, so how did he know?
‘It, it must be a coincidence.’
Professor Beven denied reality and shouted again.
“It wouldn’t be fair if I gave a failing grade on the midterm because you couldn’t catch me! Since you haven’t learned Enhancement Magic yet! Instead, I will give you an assignment!”
Oh…….
Radel looked in the direction where Professor Beven seemed to be and admired quietly.
What a conscientious professor.
Compared to Professor Bronson who launched merciless attacks on students who couldn’t even do defensive magic a while ago, or Professor Lilian who habitually launched abrupt ambushes, he was a truly warm professor.
Not to mention Professor Cailin who made him pull weeds, do alchemy assignments, and now even manage the herb garden as soon as he became an Alchemy major.
Radel had come to harbor prejudices against some professors while attending the Academy.
“Hmm, you mean we have to read Introduction to Enhancement Magic and Understanding Enhancement Magic and write a report.”
Radel gratefully wrote down the assignment Professor Beven gave.
Professor Beven, who said he would give grades if they just did the assignment, felt like an angel.
It would be really great if I could learn Enhancement Magic under such a professor.
Radel unknowingly spat out his true feelings.
“……Because of this, I want to learn it even more.”
And he smiled once again towards where Professor Beven seemed to be.
It was a smile of respect towards a conscientious and warm professor.
‘H, how does he know?’
Professor Beven trembled at Radel’s gaze looking straight at him.
He had definitely hidden his body perfectly, but to look as if he knew he was here!
Moreover, wasn’t he even smiling strangely?
A smile with a sinister ulterior motive as if saying he would definitely catch him!
Professor Beven felt chilled by such a smile from Radel.
* * *
Professor Beven disappeared as soon as he announced the assignment.
The students who received the midterm assignment notice looked comfortable.
Especially the seniors far from Combat Magic majors seemed relieved.
“Still, it’s a relief. An assignment is better than a written exam.”
“Wouldn’t professors prefer substituting with assignments if possible?”
“Right. Grading would be tiring too.”
Radel listened to the seniors taking Enhancement Magic, then subtly greeted them and cut in.
“Hello, seniors. There is something I wanted to ask.”
“Huh? That…… isn’t he the first-year representative Junior?”
Since they were in the same boat chasing the professor, the seniors also could not be unaware of Radel and Gusto.
They were Juniors challenging Professor Beven with new methods such as installing traps or setting snares.
Especially Radel was quite a famous figure among the seniors.
Both being the first-year representative and contracting with a spirit whose name could not be spoken.
Every single one of his actions aroused interest in the seniors.
Furthermore, Radel’s polite attitude was sufficient to gain the seniors’ favor.
“Ask anything. What are you curious about?”
“Are you seniors perhaps not going to chase the professor during the midterms?”
At Radel’s question, the seniors nodded.
“Right. Since he gives grades if we just do the assignment anyway.”
“We have to prepare for other subject exams too, so it turned out well.”
“Of course, of course. It is absolutely not because catching the professor is hard that we are doing this, you know?”
“Right. This is all because there is a strategy.”
Since the topic came up, the seniors decided to give advice to the first-years who knew nothing.
“Juniors, there is no need to exert yourselves starting now.”
“The important thing is learning Enhancement Magic somehow.”
Among the seniors, there were those who had been taking Enhancement Magic since last semester, and those who had come already knowing Professor Beven’s notoriety.
At the beginning of the semester, it is not easy to even figure out where Professor Beven is, but when the end of the semester comes, the professor is bound to loosen up a little.
According to the advice of friends who succeeded in catching Professor Beven and learned Enhancement Magic, they said not to think about catching him early but to aim for when the professor’s strength loosens.
The seniors who knew that well were aiming for the end of the semester.
“We do chase him because we might catch the professor early if lucky, but we aren’t that serious either.”
“Should I say the real match is during finals?”
“You guys don’t suffer in advance either and move towards learning the professor’s patterns. Then you will be able to succeed someday.”
Radel answered politely.
“Yes, I wish I could do that too. Thank you for your sincere advice.”
“My my. Such a polite Junior.”
“Right, do your best on midterms!”
The seniors left words of encouragement for Radel and Gusto and headed somewhere.
It seemed they were going to the library to do the Enhancement Magic assignment starting now.
Radel also looked back at Gusto and shrugged his shoulders.
He had an expression that said it couldn’t be helped.
“The seniors’ words seem right. Since there is time until finals, let’s catch the professor slowly and go to the library too. We should do the midterm assignment the professor gave first.”
At Radel’s words, Gusto also nodded.
“That would be good.”
The two headed to the library carrying huge loads.
Before long, no one remained in the clearing.
And there was a person sighing with relief while watching the backs of the two from far away.
It was precisely the small-statured Dwarf wearing a helmet, Professor Beven.
“Phew. Those persistent brats are finally going.”
I can coast through today’s lecture.
As expected, it seemed substituting the midterm with an assignment was a good idea.
Professor Beven jumped down from the tree humming a tune.
“Hmm, hmm.”
And the moment he was about to move his steps towards the appropriately shaded forest.
CLANK!
A sound of something catching on his foot was heard.
It was the sound of metal he wanted to avoid to a sickening degree recently.
“Huh?”
Professor Beven’s face turned pale white.
* * *
Naturally, Radel had no intention of giving up on today’s lecture.
He had only pretended to go to the library after hearing the seniors’ words.
Radel, who was pretending to head to the library to do the assignment, opened his mouth to Gusto.
“Let’s go back now, Gusto.”
“Yes, Prince.”
Gusto understood Radel’s intention immediately.
As expected of the Prince.
Such quick judgment catching Professor Beven off guard.
Was even talking with the seniors part of his plan?
If he heard that conversation, perhaps even the wary Professor Beven would have no choice but to let his guard down.
Gusto could not help but inwardly admire Radel’s wisdom.
Gusto lowered his footsteps and asked Radel.
“Won’t we be caught by the professor if we go back now?”
“Don’t worry. I set them up earlier just in case.”
Radel answered with a composed expression.
The original plan was to narrow the movement path after installing simple traps before Professor Beven arrived, but the current situation was not bad either.
“We just need to go around the back and reinforce a few more.”
“Yes, Prince.”
Plans can be modified to fit the changed situation.
‘He won’t come again today.’
At this time when the seniors went to do the assignment for the midterm, right now when there are few competitors is the opportunity.
Professor Beven would probably also prefer them coming to catch him rather than going to do the assignment.
Would there be a professor who dislikes a student overflowing with passion?
‘If I work hard, he will like me more, right?’
Other professors liked it when I did this.
Radel smiled contently.
The two returned carefully enough not to be caught by Professor Beven, and hoping to please the professor, diligently installed traps and set snares.
CLANK!
‘Did he get caught?’
Radel’s ears, hiding nearby, moved.
He was a professor who did not get caught easily by traps recently, perhaps having gotten used to them, but today he definitely seemed to have let his guard down.
Radel moved carefully with Gusto to a place where the trap was clearly visible.
‘He got caught!’
BANG!
Professor Beven was seen flustered, breaking the snare with Enhancement Magic.
Since he was a professor who had broken numerous snares until now, Radel was not surprised.
Traps were prepared again anyway.
‘This time I prepared something else too.’
In fact, besides snares or traps, there was a separate weapon Radel had prepared.
A secret weapon utilizing the fact that Dwarves like meat and alcohol.
Until now, he had tried to wear him down with traps and then lower Professor Beven’s guard with delicious meat, but it did not work.
Professor Beven would usually hover nearby smelling the meat and then disappear.
Thanks to that, Radel and Gusto unintentionally became like delinquent students happily grilling and eating meat during lecture time.
Well, come to think of it, wouldn’t the professor be able to obtain meat easily too?
Radel thought something difficult for Professor Beven to obtain yet hard to refuse was needed.
If so, there was only one thing left.